Major Heat On Ric Flair, Possibly Done With The Company

[Kitten Cutter]

Truth be told, I don't want Ric Flair back in the WWE. I want him to sit his old ass down.

It's sad that wrestling is worse than the NFL with its retired players, but unlike football, there is no commentator job, coaching job or other such job for wrestlers that are abundant. They can become commentators, agents, managers, and other such work only if the company needs them and wants to use them in such a capacity. I think it's Flair being bored to tears doing the manager\mic-man work of Gunner (I'd be mad too if that's all there is to manage) and not competing or making the money by being at the top of the card. I think the Gut Check thing is almost Impact Wrestling's attempt to make him find his role as a trainer and talent evaluator.

Ric Flair, as much as we may want him to, will not replace Michael Cole or Mike Tenay. He won't replace Lawler or Tazz either. And we saw at Wrestlemania 25 that he won't go back to the WWE quietly. He'll want to be in the ring and bleed, punch, kick and cheat his way into another in-ring role. Even if the WWE took him back, he'd do the same stuff he pulled between Wrestlemania 24 and 25: find ways to get on camera and in the ring.

Overall, Impact Wrestling doesn't need him. WWE doesn't need him.

The prospect of him hiring himself out to minor federations that perform at high school gyms in West Virginia is sad and degrading to consider.

Say it like is: ****ING. The thought of Ric Flair ****ING himself out to minor federations that perform at high school gyms in West Virginia is sad and degrading to consider. It's time to be done, Flair. Come back every so often with mic work and appearances and we'll miss you. Keep trying to make a 65 year old come back and we WILL mock you.

 

[PEP3]

Let me start by saying that, compared to most of you on these boards, I'm "an old man." In fact, I'm 39-years-old. That means I haven't simply read about or been told of Ric Flair's legacy in professional wrestling, I remember and lived it first hand. Indeed, I recall quite fondly when he was, in fact, The Man. You know, as in, "To be The Man, you have to beat The Man."

Back in those days, Flair equalled huge ratings. He was not only worth gigantic paychecks, he also earned them. He cut amazing -- and I mean uhhhhh-F'n-mazing -- promos. He worked his ass off in the ring. He helped create stars -- main event, championship worthy superstars. He headlined StarCades. He main-evented WrestleManias. It's what made him an absolute and undeniable cornerstone in the modern pro wrestling industry. Unquestionably, it's why he -- perhaps more than anyone else -- deserves TWO WWE Hall of Fame Rings.

Those are the days, the contributions, the achievements, the matches, the legends which made me a tremendous Ric Flair fan. And, yet, even as such, I have to admit -- unequivocally -- just how far gone those days now are.

The Flair we now see on TNA programming is but a shell of his former self. He is a caricature of all that was once great about the Ric Flair of the '80s & '90s. While it easy to understand and accept that a portion of that -- the in-ring skills -- have eroded as he passed into retirement age, some of it makes far less sense to me.

Have you heard Flair heard him cut a promo lately? The man sounds mildly unintelligible, like a raving lunatic on the verge of an aneurism at any moment. It makes me uncomfortable to watch, much less think it should continue.

The best opportunities TNA had to utilize Flair were in a managerial capacity, where he would "groom" one or several young wrestlers to become the next generation's version -- under whatever name -- of what The Four Horsemen were to the 1980s. He could have easily helped build a new legacy of domination for younger performers, and through passing along personal experiences and knowledge behind-the-scenes, might perhaps have helped offset the massive paycheck he receives in ways he could no longer possibly earn onscreen (much less in the ring!).

Unfortunately, that has only briefly seemed of interest to Flair. The more and more details seep out about his behavior, poor personal choice, financial mismanagement and utter disregard for company policies and procedures, the less of an asset -- at any level -- Flair appears to be.

While pro wrestling is about legacy, about charisma, about characters that are larger-than-life and polarizing -- the good, the bad, the ugly -- it is, ultimately, a business. That fact seems lost on the Flair we see now. He's acting like a spoiled teen, trying to milk a wealthy benefactor for all he can, and throwing tantrums when his wants are not met. Unfortunately, that's not how the corporate world operates.

At some point, no matter who you are, the negatives can begin to outweigh the positives. Personal and fan feelings about Flair aside, someone in TNA corporate -- if the company decides to evaluate their return-on-investment -- might soon feel the need to address the matter.

As a long-time fan, I hope they do it before any memory I have of Flair as that iconic figure is permanently erased and any opportunities for Flair to return to WWE and regain some semblance of respectability have passed.

Honestly, I encourage TNA to examine the situation and determine whether -- as an investment -- Flair is continuing to pay off. If he's not, I encourage management to, as amicably as possible, terminate the situation.

And, I have to be honest. To me, even as a tremendous Flair fan, it feels perfectly comfortable if the time is now.

 

[New Hot Fed]

The question is, why did TNA stop using him? He went from managing Fourtune to marely be a valet to Bischoff on TV. What made TNA change their course with him. They paid him a big deal because he's a big deal then it became pretty much a case of let's pay him to do nothing. This company is run by morons.

 

[IT Factor]

As a wrestling fan, I love Ric Flair and what he used to be. A great wrestler and showman who is a legend in the business and is a surefire hall-of-famer. No doubt about that. However, Ric Flair from a business standpoint has always put too much value into himself than what is actually there. Especially a full 10 years after he's had anything remotely resembeling a decent match. Ric Flair has said on WCW TV before that he loved it. In fact, I believe he refrenced Vince McMahon never being able to hold WCW in his hands on the final Nitro and claimed he loved WCW. He then shows up in WWE and trashes WCW. What does that tell you? He talks outta both sides of his mouth and isn't too genuiene. His word means nothing.

It's kinda been the same deal with Flair & TNA. He showed up much like Hogan claiming to wanna help Impact Wrestling. Fast forward two years later and we have a bunch of empty promises and big salaries and TNA is no better off for it. Flair has had numerous incidents with TNA since joining with business issues. To be honest, I doubt Flair even wanted to go to TNA to begin with. The only reasons he showed up were to gain another payday and try to remain relevent until WWE would take him back. His motives for joining Impact were very transparent and he's sadly on the big list of former WWE rejects who only came to TNA to earn money and not help the company.

Good riddance!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

This has been a long time coming. I read about this yesterday and it's just another incident of Flair behaving badly since coming to TNA. I think Flair is on his way out the door and I think it's probably for the best.

Let's be honest, Flair's heart has never really been in TNA. Flair came to TNA during a time in which he was frustrated with the direction WWE wanted his career to go, they offered him a good amount of money and were willing to let him wrestle sometimes. However, I fail to see how Flair's image of himself over the course of the past 2.5 years hasn't changed to some degree. His matches in TNA were an embarassment to watch, he got seriously injured the past couple of matches he wrestled if I'm not mistaken, and he has to be looking at himself physically in a different light. Flair turns 63 this year and with the problems he's had with his shoulder, I don't think he'd turn down an offer from WWE to come back and be used in a non-wrestling capacity.

Unlike most former WWE guys that've come to TNA, Flair's never taken shots at Vince or the WWE. He's stayed on good terms with Vince and the fact that he appeared at the WWE HOF induction ceremony all but solidifies that Flair would love to be back with WWE. Flair's behavior and antics in TNA have been unprofessional and embarassing. He's done things and said things that he'd never get away with were he in WWE.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

I suppose if this is all true, maybe he should be going. But Flair still entertained me a lot in TNA, setting up Fortune, feuding with Jay Lethal (I was actually CRYING with laughter at that segment, one of the funniest I've ever seen in wrestling) and his matches with Foley and in Lethal Lockdown vs Fortune were pretty good.

This promo as well still cracks me up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf5to6NgEfQ

Thanks for the memories Ric!

 

[IT Factor]

I suppose if this is all true, maybe he should be going. But Flair still entertained me a lot in TNA, setting up Fortune, feuding with Jay Lethal (I was actually CRYING with laughter at that segment, one of the funniest I've ever seen in wrestling) and his matches with Foley and in Lethal Lockdown vs Fortune were pretty good.

This promo as well still cracks me up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf5to6NgEfQ

Thanks for the memories Ric!

I must agree with you here. That promo was funny as hell. I, too, was laughing for minutes even after that promo was finished. However, I think it was just as much Lethal's talents on the mic as Flair's. TNA made a huge mistake in releasing Jay Lethal. He was great at imitating Macho & Flair. I would've liked to seen who else he could imitate. Or how about what he could've done in the main events as himself.

Like I said before, I appreciate Flair and what he means to pro wrestling. His promos are entertaining and his prior matches were great. However, what has Flair done to benefit TNA? NOTHING. Sadly. He was capable of helping Impact Wrestling in a much bigger capacity if focused. If you paid attention to Flair's actions, you would've seen this coming months ago. He was just biding his time in TNA until WWE came knocking with a Legends deal. That spits in the face of every TNA talent in the locker room from Storm, Roode, AJ, Daniels, etc who have all been trying to establish TNA from the beginning.

Good Riddance, Mr. Flair. I hope WWE has more luck keeping Naitch in check than TNA did. WHOOO!!!

 

[Ovaltine]

I really liked Fortune in the beginning. However, once it turned into 5 or 6 guys what was the point? Also, as much as I liked AJ why was he in the group? He was the face of TNA. So, he didn't need the rub. Sure his mic skills got better, but couldn't Flair or someone else have coached him on the side? Anyway, since TNA pretty much stopped using AJ in any meaninful way his mic skills have diminished which is a shame because at once point her seemed to be getting pretty good. If you don't use it- you lose it. Sad, but it is the was that EVERYTHING is in TNA.

 

[DeathClutch]

Apart from Fortune what else has Flair done in 2.5 years he's been in TNA?
I don't watch TNA that much other than the occasional PPV on the net, but I generally can't remember anything Flair has done in TNA.

Flair will probably get back into WWE somehow, doubtful in a wrestling capacity, hell he's even said lately that he's never 'wrestled' since WM24, which is a slap in the face to thus who he's faced in TNA. Flair's a douche but he's been allowed to get away with it for so long it's almost expected, but whatever I could see Flair coming back to WWE and becoming some kind of manager/general manager.

The problem with Flair is in TNA he's the big shot along with Bischoff and Hogan, you've Dixie who by all acounts is pretty soft and Flair's taken advantage of her soft nature being a douche on the road etc, where-as in WWE Flair wouldn't make on step out of line or he'd be gone in a heartbeat.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticl...n=Feed:+pwinsider+(PWInsider+Latest+Articles)

According to court documents filed in the WWE vs. TNA lawsuit case, TNA officially terminated Ric Flair on May 11, 2012. WWE made that statement in the court documents while noting that Flair had been let go several weeks before TNA filed a lawsuit alleging that WWE had gone after Flair, described as "under a TNA contract" in the lawsuit.

That date would be Friday 5/11 while TNA's Sacrifice PPV was on 5/13. TNA claimed in the original PPV lawsuit that Flair had no showed the PPV. If he was fired, as the filing claims, he couldn't have no showed as he was no longer employed by the company.

--

None of this, of course, should be coming to suprise to anyone, as the writing has been on the wall regarding this for a while now. Frankly, the decision is probably the best for all parties involved at this point.

I admire TNA for bringing Flair in, because on paper he's the type of name you want to capitalize on, and I thank Flair for his many, many great memories over the last few years, but ultimately it's probably for the better.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

I think it's weird Ric's still on their roster page when they removed Shelley from the page and didn't he go after Flair?